As far as I know, I haven't seen one comment - let alone a thread - on this production. Anyone seen it? Comments/critiques? If I can swing it, I'll try to catch it soon. Know of any discount codes?
I caught this last week when I was in Chicago for a few days. The orchestra was gorgeous and sounded incredible. There is zero chemistry between the two leads, but I liked them with scenes with other people. Hated the actress playing Anita's interpretation of the role. The dancing was not as strong as it could have been. But, the orchestra was worth it for me. The discount code I used is valid for weekday performances only. "CONCIERGE"
I found it to be a pretty middling production worth it only for the production values the Lyric could provide. Maria had a gorgeous voice, but her acting was embarrassingly amateur. Tony was a good actor but his singing was far too contemporary--he punched the consonants, preventing him from letting any line feel legato, and he even sang some incorrect notes. Anita was a great dancer but a sub-par singer and actor. Yes, it's great to hear the score played by 43 musicians, but at least at the performance I attended, I felt that the conductor didn't really dig into the dynamics in the way I want to hear a Leonard Benstein score played. The dancing was mostly the original Robbins choreography, which it's always great to see, and I personally thought it was well-executed (it was certainly done better than the lackluster tour of the Arthur Laurents production). The set does have a cool trick revealed at the top of act two, but mostly it's just an open playing area. The costumes are contemporary, and that choice really doesn't add anything to the show.
Francesca Zambello's direction really didn't make the piece come alive. Most of the actors gave surface-level performances, and the staging reflected that. If anything, this production gave me a better appreciation for the ill-conceived Laurents production which at least understood what what happening in each scene.
If you want to hear the big orchestra and see the original choreography, then by all means go, but lower your exceptions in every other department. I was occasionally impressed but thoroughly unmoved.
"Thank you for the original code" is the actual response you should have typed. Now you expect people to do a search you can easily do yourself? Again?
I was at the matinee this past Saturday. I liked it fine. I thought the performances were overall fine with Corey Cott being the standout, and vocally the actress playing Maria was stunning. The set and production value is phenomenal. The Lyric put every ounce of their resources into this production. Production value and the 43 piece orchestra makes it a must see if you are able to catch it. Also worth noting that I went to the box office around 11:30am before the 1:30pm matinee and asked about any student discounts or discounts in general and the clerk offered me 50% off which was a nice surprise. I’m not sure if that was a general day of discount or one specifically for students, but I thought I’d mention it, because it’s not really publicized anywhere, they also didn’t ask for a student ID, so it very well maybe open to everyone.
I saw this today and thought it was a fairly strong production that stuck pretty closely to what you’d expect. I was a bit confused by a few odd anachronisms. One character flossing near the beginning? A photo of Justice Sotomayor on the wall of Maria’s room? Anyone else notice things like that and understand why?
Menken Fan said: "I saw this today and thought it was a fairly strong production that stuck pretty closely to what you’d expect. I was a bit confused by a few odd anachronisms. One character ?flossing’ near the beginning? A photo of Justice Sotomayor on the wall of Maria’s room? Anyone else notice things like that and understand why?"
The flossing was definitely and odd choice, I was too far back to make out anything on the walls of Maria’s bedroom.
LuPita2 said: ""Thank you for the original code" is the actual response you should have typed. Now you expect people to do a search you can easily do yourself? Again?
Nah."
A belated, heartfelt thanks for the code you previously provided me with.
I wouldn't say there were a few anachronisms, as it was clear to me that the whole production was set today. The costumes all felt modern, though mostly not distractingly so (apart from one character's bright red sneakers). Thankfully, they didn't have cell phones to drive this point in your face like you might see in a lot of modern-dress productions.
joined:9/16/05
joined:
9/16/05
Posted: 5/14/19 at 7:43pm